True Love
by PurpleNicole531
Summary: Seeing Ben with Uma at the Cotillion had been the breaking point for Mal. So, she ran to the only place where she would truly feel happy and loved. The place where she and Ben had their first date and the to be king confessed his love for her. Mal didn't go back to the Isle, but she did go back to the Enchanted Lake, only to feel more heartbroken than she already was.


**Hi everyone! I'm PurpleNicole531 and this is my very first Descendants story! So, I've been a huge fan of Disney's Descendants since the first movie. I've watched the Wicked World shorts and read the Isle of the Lost novels, which I also love. It's no surprise that I also loved the second movie as well, which is why I'm writing a story for it!**

 **Anyways, this is an AU version of the Cotillion scene from the sequel. Aside from that, the rest of the movie plays out as it originally had. Also, this story is mostly Ben/Mal, so don't worry, there will be a happy ending for them!**

 **Well, if you want to find out what happens, read on! I, of course, don't own Disney's Descendants or any of the characters, but the plot line is all mine! Without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

At this point, Mal had had enough.

Seeing Ben with Uma, looking at each other so lovingly, had been the breaking point for her. She couldn't stand to stay on that yacht any longer, or be there during the Cotillion, which was supposed to be a happy celebration for both her and Ben.

But now, it was anything, but a happy celebration.

Ben had put _her_ ring on _Uma's_ finger. Ben ended up dancing away to 'Kiss the Girl' with _Uma_ instead of _her_.

Ben had _lied_ to _her_.

And it broke Mal's heart.

That was supposed to be Ben putting his ring on Mal's finger, and dancing with her, not Uma.

It was supposed to be _her_ and Ben, not Ben and _Uma_.

 _Her_ worst enemy on the Isle, with _her_ boyfriend.

Mal had seen enough. She needed to leave before she ended up losing control over her emotions completely and causing a scene in front of everyone.

Because that was the last thing she wanted to do.

Grabbing the skirt of her dress, Mal made her way up the stairs, her friends following close behind. Ben's parents, Beast and Belle, made an attempt to stop her, but she ignored them.

Once at the top of the steps, Evie placed a comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder, and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, Mal."

Mal shrugged, not looking Evie directly in the eyes. She figured something like this would happen. Besides, she was a Villain Kid.

And villains weren't known for having happily ever afters.

Jay then piped up, placing a hand on Mal's other arm. "You want me to drive you back to the Isle?"

Mal pondered this. She didn't want to stay on this yacht, and she certainly didn't want to stay to see what would happen next between Ben and Uma.

Ben was really the only reason for her staying in Auradon, and now she didn't even have him.

Not anymore.

A thought then occurred to Mal, and she shook her head. "No, I'm staying."

Jay removed his hand from Mal's arm, a confused look on his face. "What?"

Mal frowned, rolling her eyes. "Not _here_. I'm not going to the Isle either. There's somewhere else I wanna be."

Jay was about to question Mal's intentions, but she didn't give him a chance. Without saying another word to any of her friends, she made her way off the yacht, leaving her friends wondering where exactly she was going.

She was gone before she got the chance to hear Jane make an announcement that possibly would've changed her mind about leaving.

* * *

Mal was walking away as fast as she could. Trying to get away from what she saw. Trying to rid all the thoughts she had of Ben and Uma.

But mostly Ben.

Eventually, Mal established that she couldn't run, or even walk, in the killer shoes that Evie had given her.

The daughter of Maleficent was right when she said that those shoes were extremely severe.

Stopping abruptly, Mal let out a groan as she quickly threw the shoes off, not even bothering that they had landed in a mud puddle nearby.

Evie wouldn't have been happy about that.

Sighing in relief, Mal proceeded to grab her dress again and run as fast as she could, making her way towards the spot that she knew she needed to be right now.

* * *

A few minutes later, Mal stopped as she found herself standing in front of a rope bridge. A smile formed on her face as she recalled the memory of her first date with Ben. The two of them had walked across this bridge, happily talking and laughing about how ridiculous their middle names were.

Mal's smile didn't last long as a frown soon replaced it, forcing her to feel sad again.

If only she was here with Ben again. Then they would've been joking about their middle names together.

 _No, Mal. Don't let it get to you._ Shaking her head, the purple-haired villain made her way across the bridge and into the wooded area, not far from her final destination.

Taking a deep breath, Mal closed her eyes and continued to walk as if she was sleep-walking. She knew the place like the back of her hand and had gone there so many times that she literally could go there in her sleep.

Most of those times were with Ben.

Mal smiled again, as she imagined Ben holding her by the arms, and leading her to the special spot. It was just like their first date, where he surprised her with a picnic at the Enchanted Lake.

Not long after their first date, Mal had established that the Enchanted Lake was _their_ special spot. A place where she and Ben could be together and just be themselves.

Or at least it was, until kingly duties and preparations for the Cotillion got in the way.

And for Mal, the pressures of being as royal as she possibly could be, a Lady of the Court, and a perfect girlfriend to Ben.

Obviously, she failed.

Now Mal found herself coming to the Enchanted Lake quite often, usually by herself, all alone.

Without Ben.

Mal sighed as she stopped and opened her eyes, immediately pushing those thoughts away, and smiling upon sight of the pillared gazebo that stood before her. Even though she had been there too many times for her to count, she still made a point to gasp and be surprised by the sight.

She even turned her head to look at Ben's happy, smiling face until she realized he wasn't there with her.

The shock and surprise faded as quickly as it had come.

Mal tentatively took a step towards the gazebo, suddenly feeling the sensation of the cold stone under her feet. She then made her way towards one of the pillars, leaning against it as she stared out at the water.

A small laugh made its way out of Mal as she stared up at the rocky ledge and imagined Ben standing on top, ready to do a cannonball into the water.

 _"Are those little crowns on your shorts?" Mal had shouted, pointing out the design on Ben's swim trunks._

 _Ben looked somewhat sheepish as he glanced at Mal. "Maybe." He replied, a hint of embarrassment in his voice._

 _Mal laughed as she watched Ben let out a roar as he dived into the water below._

Mal crossed her arms, tears welling up in her eyes, as she reminisced all the special moments she had with Ben.

Here, she found her love for picnics and trying out as many new foods as possible. Here, she found her love for jelly doughnuts and strawberries. Here, she found her love for water and swimming, once Ben had given her lessons and eventually taught her how to swim.

And let's be honest, for either Ben or Mal, that was not a pretty sight.

And yet, Ben hadn't given up on her, even when she yelled and complained and managed to bring the not-so-pleasant beastly side out of him.

He still didn't give up on her.

And finally, here was where she found her love for the most important and special thing in her life to her, Ben himself.

 _Oh, Ben, I miss you so much. If only . . ._

Mal paused her thoughts, trying to choke back the sobs that threatened to escape her. Not knowing what else to do, she began to sing a song that brought back even more painful memories for her.

" _A million thoughts in my head. Should I let my heart keep listening?_ " Mal continued to stare up at the night sky, the stars twinkling back at her. " _Cause up till now, I've walked the line. Nothing lost, but something missing._ "

Mal turned her head to see a vision of a smiling Ben, standing next to her, and holding his hand out to her. Mal smiled back and was about to reach out to him with her own hand, but he disappeared almost immediately. The frown returned to Mal's face as she looked away and continued singing.

" _I can't decide, what's wrong, what's right. Which way should I go?_ " Mal turned towards the water once again, seeing a replica of the Isle of the Lost sitting on top of it. A golden bridge then appeared before her, and she was about to step on it, but she immediately stepped back, the Isle and bridge disappearing as fast as they had appeared.

" _If only I knew what my heart was telling me. Don't know what I'm feeling. Is this just a dream? Ah, oh, yeah . . ._ " Mal's eyes widened as images of her and her friends' experiences at Auradon played in front of her. She then turned her head to see another image of her and Ben at the coronation, where Ben made her realize she didn't have to be like her mother, that she could make her own destiny and be who she really wanted to be. Not Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil, but Mal, the girl from the Isle, who also had a place here in Auradon, with Ben and all her friends. It was where she decided that she wanted to be good.

" _If only I could read the signs in front of me. Then I'd find the way to who I'm meant to be. Ah, oh, if only, yeah . . ._ " Mal then found herself standing in front of, well, herself. Her _old_ self, from the Isle. The Mal in front of her had a mischevious, evil smile on her face and her eyes were glowing a bright, malicious green.

Mal shook her head disapprovingly. No matter what, she was determined to not go back to her evil, villainous ways. She was happy with the way she was now. Being herself.

No more evil Mal. That Mal was long gone.

Mal waved her hand and the image of her old self faded away into nothingness, as well as the other images. She sighed, backing against the pillar and slowly sinking to the ground, her knees hugged against her chest.

" _If only . . . yeah, if only . . . yeah, if only . . . yeah, if only . . ._ "

Mal whimpered, feeling more heartbroken than before.

" _If only . . ._ he still loved me."

Mal didn't even try to fight it anymore. She couldn't hold back the tears. For as long as she remembered, she never cried. She told herself she would never cry, but now . . . all Mal wanted to do was cry her heart out.

So, she did.

* * *

Mal wasn't sure how long she had sat there, crying, but she suddenly felt a pair of warm arms wrapping themselves around her. Sniffling, Mal tilted her head up, teary-eyed, only to look into the concerned and hurt face of Ben.

Mal couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was she hallucinating again? Was her mind playing tricks on her again, only to leave her disappointed and all alone, with no one to comfort her, but herself?

Mal didn't know, but she really hoped it wasn't a dream.

Ben looked at Mal with a sad smile on his face. She could literally see the guilt glinting in his eyes.

Whatever would he feel guilty about?

"Mal," He finally said. Hearing his voice again, saying her name again, made Mal tingle all over, and she finally felt a little bit of joy again, after all the heartbreak and anguish she had to go through.

Mal looked at Ben, a hopeful glint in her eyes. "Ben," She responded, a smile crossing her face. She even managed to laugh a bit as she quickly wiped the tears off her face.

Ben smiled, a happy one this time, as he brushed his thumb across Mal's cheek lovingly.

The two of them continued to just stare at each other, not bothering to say a word. That is, until Ben spoke up again.

"I am so sorry, Mal."

Mal frowned in confusion, but she had an inkling on what Ben was referring to. "For what?"

Ben sighed. "Everything."

Mal nodded, understanding. "I get it. We were both under a lot of pressure."

"Yeah, but that's no excuse for how I treated you earlier. I really didn't mean to go all 'beast' on you, Mal. You didn't derserve any of that."

Mal shrugged. "Hey, I wasn't acting anything like a 'beauty' either." She said. "We can both take the blame, I guess."

Ben chuckled. "So, are we good?"

Mal nodded, smiling. "Yeah, we're good."

Ben sighed in relief as he embraced Mal. "I'm so glad."

Mal hugged Ben, not ever wanting to let him go again. "Me too." She whispered. That's when Mal suddenly realized something.

Ben looked startled when Mal pushed him away from her. "Mal?" He was confused and hurt by her reaction. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Mal was at a loss for words as her mind became jumbled with thoughts again. Most of them confusing and suspicious.

"How . . . how are you here? How did you find me?" She asked, staring at him with wide eyes.

Ben frowned. "Mal, it's me. If you think I'm not real, then you're wrong, because I'm actually here. With you. And I'm not leaving you alone ever again."

Mal continued to stare at Ben, shock written all over her face. "What?"

Ben sighed as he continued to explain. "As for finding you, well, I know you, Mal. And if there's one place you'd escape to, it's here. And before you ask, I didn't think you'd go back to the Isle again. Besides, Jay told me you didn't, even when he offered to personally drive you there."

Mal was beginning to trust this wasn't an illusion, although there was still one thing she needed to hear to confirm it was really Ben. _Her_ Ben.

"What about Uma?"

Ben looked taken aback. "What about her?"

Mal frowned, an angry look on her face. "Uma! She was with you! You were with her! She managed to swim over here and take you away from me! You gave her _my_ ring! You even danced with her! You acted as if I didn't exist anymore! That I meant nothing to you! _Nothing_!"

Mal was on the verge of tears again as she balled her fists in frustration. She looked at Ben with such hurt in her eyes that it made Ben feel even more hurt than he was feeling before.

"Mal," Ben spoke up after her rant. "Uma had spelled me."

Mal stared at Ben, looking deep into his eyes, searching for any signs of him lying, but there weren't any.

"You're telling the truth." She said, her gaze never leaving Ben's.

Ben nodded, gently taking Mal's hand in his own. He then rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. "I am."

"But how?" She asked, still confused. "If she put you under a love spell, then how are you currently here with me?"

Ben smirked. "Well, it certainly didn't wash off of me, that's for sure."

Mal rolled her eyes at him. "Haha, very funny. Get to the point."

"It was the stained glass portrait that Jane unveiled not long after you left." Ben stated, matter-of-factly.

Mal raised an eyebrow. "What stained glass portrait?"

"This stained glass portrait." Ben pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed Mal.

Mal peered at the screen, seeing the stained glass representation of her and Ben.

"That's . . . that's us." She murmured, touching the screen with her finger. "That's you and me, Ben."

Ben nodded, smiling. "It's my gift to you for Cotillion. I made it especially for us, well, with Jane's help. She did most of the work, but I was the one who made sure your eyes were green."

"Oh, Ben," Mal gushed. "I love it."

"I was hoping you would." Ben said, putting the phone back in his pocket. "When I saw it, I knew it had to mean something, but I didn't know what. At first, I was wondering why it was a portrait of me and you instead of me and Uma. And then . . ."

"And then, what?" Mal asked, glancing at Ben as he trailed off.

"And then," Ben looked directly at Mal, directly into her eyes. "I looked into those green eyes of yours, and that's when everything came back to me. That's when I knew . . . it was you. You were the one for me. Not Uma."

Mal smiled, feeling her heart mend itself back together. Now that Ben was here with her, in the flesh, she no longer had to feel heartbroken. With everything he said, Mal knew he truly loved her.

"You always knew who I was, Ben."

"Of course, Mal." Ben replied. "And you always knew who I was too. We can be who we want to be. We can decide our own destinies."

"And what's our destiny?" Mal asked, wrapping her arms around Ben's neck. At this point, she and Ben had stood up from their previous sitting position and were looking at each other with such happiness and love that seemed to only come out of a fairytale.

"That we were meant to be." Ben responded. "And that what we have together is true love."

Mal smiled, relieved at hearing Ben say those words. Any doubts she had of their relationship were soon gone. And now that it was confirmed that what they had was true love, it was now time to take a step forward. To prove their love was true.

"And with true love," Mal continued, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Comes a true love's kiss."

Slightly catching Ben off guard, Mal had given him just that. A true love's kiss. Ben was briefly surprised, but he soon regained his composure and joined Mal in the kiss.

After pulling away from the kiss, the two of them then smiled and leaned forward, touching foreheads. At that moment, Ben and Mal felt like they were the only two people in the entire kingdom, and being together, in the place where their love first blossomed, where they just shared their first kiss, was the best thing that could've happened to them.

Everything that happened before then was now just a distant memory.

However, Mal was soon reminded of something that she and Ben had to take care of.

"Ben," Mal pulled away, looking at Ben worriedly. "You left Uma on the yacht, didn't you?"

"Well, yes, why?" Ben asked, not seeing what the issue was.

Mal sighed. She loved Ben, but sometimes he was too oblivious for his own good. Being cooped up in a castle surrounded by servants and guards who protected him from any sort of danger probably didn't help either.

"Ben, I know Uma, and wherever Uma goes, chaos follows."

"So?"

"So," Mal groaned. "She probably thinks you ditched her because the love spell wore off of you. If that's the case, then she's doing the alternative to get what she wants."

"And that would be?"

"Terrorizing our friends and pretty much everyone who is currently on that ship!"

"It's the royal yacht." Ben pointed out. "My parents use it during summer vacation and for special occasions, such as this one."

Mal rolled her eyes and huffed in frustration, before grabbing Ben's arm and pulling him off the gazebo and back into the wooded area. "Let's just go! We have more important matters to take care of! Our friends need our help! We need to stop Uma!"

Ben nodded, pulling himself out of Mal's grip and walking beside her. "Lead the way."

Mal took a deep breath and calmed herself down, looking at Ben, who flashed her an encouraging smile. She smiled back at him, feeling better about the situation already.

Because now with Ben by her side once again, there was no way she was going to let Uma win that easily.

* * *

 **Well, that's it! I'm actually pretty proud of how this turned out, considering it's my first story for Descendants. In case you're wondering, Ben and Mal would've gone back to the yacht, to find Uma as a giant octopus, terrorizing everyone else, and making a point to stop her. As it goes, Mal turns into a dragon, and starts attacking Uma, while Ben jumps into the water to diffuse the situation before it gets out of hand. And then everyone starts dancing and splashing around in the water at the end. So, pretty much everything else remains the same.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this alternate version of the Cotillion scene from my own imagination! And as you can probably guess by now, I'm a huge fan of Ben/Mal. They're just so cute together! :D**

 **If you want, feel free to leave a review and tell me your thoughts on this story. I would love to see some feedback! Once again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story! Who knows, you may see me again with another Descendants story in the future!**


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